Feed guide for printing equipment



July 23, 1957 s. LIGHTBouRN 2,800,078

FEED GUIDE FoR PRINTING EQUIPMENT Filed Jan. 31,1955

irme/Vey.

United States Patent FEED GUIDE FOR PRlNTING EQUIPMENT 'Y SalvadorLightbourn, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application January 31, 1955,` Serial No. 484,889 .10 claims. (ci.i-41s) This invention relates to improved feed guide devices forv use inconventional embossing or platen printlng presses.

In using an embossing or printing press, it is customary to provide, onthe platen of the press, a sheet of material called a feed board ortympan on which the paper to be impressed is placed during the printingor embossing operation. The paper is properly located on this feed boardor tympan by positioning the paper to abut laterally against a number offeed guide devices (usually three). These guide devices are ordinarilyattached to the feed board or tympan by means of pins or hooks whichextend through or into the feed board or tympan, and usually damage itto an extent preventing its re-use.

The general object of the present invention is to provide an improvedfeed guide arrangement, in which the guide devices may be attached to orremoved from a feed board much more easily than in the past, and withoutany damage to the board, so that a single board may be used repeatedlyover a long period of time without replacement. .This result is achievedby employment of a unique type of feed board having a very smooth orslick surface, in combination with specially constructed feedguide unitshaving suction cup vportions which are adapted to adhere by suction tothe slick board.

` Each of the feed guide units includes an element which laterallyengages and thereby determines the positioning of a sheet of paper, andwhich is carried by the suction cup at a location to contact the feedboard when the suction cup is' attached to the board. This element maybe a leaf spring, and preferably engages the feed board at two oppositesides of the suction cup, rather than merely at one side, to balance anyforces which may be exerted by the element -against the cup, and tothereby prevent accidental detachment of the cup from the feed board asa result of such unbalanced forces. The unit may also include a secondelement, typically a second leaf spring, carried by the suction cup andprojecting to Va position overlying the paper, to retain the paperagainst the board. This second element may be mounted for adjustingmovement, to vary both the extent to which it overlies the paper, andthe thickness of paper or cardboard which can be handled.

Both of these paper engaging elements may be attached to the suction cupin unique and very effective manner by actually passing the elementsdirectly through the rubber o'r rubber-like material of the suction cup.The first mentioned of the elements is preferably fixedrelative to thesuction cup body, while the second element is free for limited slidingmovement tol effect the desired adjustment in its position.

The above andA other features and objects of the pres-- ent inventionwill be better understood from the following detailed description of thetypical embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of an embossing or printing press platenwith. the paper guiding or positioning apparatus of the presentinvention positioned thereon;

2,800,078 Patented July 23, 1957 ICC 2 Fig. 2 is 'an enlargedfragmentary plan view of one of thefeed guides of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is anfurther enlarged vertical section taken on line 3-3 of Fig.2; and

.Fig 4 is a vertical section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3. In thedrawing, I have shown at 10 the platen of a conventional printing pressor embossing press. This platen is provided for supporting a sheet ofpaper 11 while that sheet is printed or embossed. The paper 11 is placedon the upper surface of a feed board 12 on the platen, with the paperbeing properly positioned on the feed board by engagement with a numberof feed guides 13.

The feed board 12 takes the place of the usual paper ftympan in aprinting press, and of the conventional cardboard feed board in anembossing press. This feed board 12 may be of a rectangularconfiguration, and is held in proper position on platen 10 by anysuitable type of retaining elements, typically represented as a pair ofclamps 12a In embossing presses,ffeed board l12 is desirably of a fairlystiff material, and adapted by virtue of its own stiffness to avoiddeformation when the suction cup elements 13 are attached to the feedboard. In printing presses, the feed board 12 may be formed of a slicksurfaced but flexible sheet material, which is held tightly against theplaten in flattened condition by clamps of the type custom arily used inholding conventional paper tympans. For these purposes, the materialforming feed board 12 may bea suitable slick surfaced plastic, mica,Celluloid, wax treated paper, sheet plastic such as acetate, or plastictreated paper, or in the case of embossing presses, a suitable linoleummay be used.

There are normally provided three of the feed guide unitsr13 on feedboard 12 for engaging and properly positioning the usually rectangularsheet of paper 11 to be printed or embossed. One of the feed guides 13engages one edge of the paper 11 near a corner of that paper, While theother two feed guides 13 engage a second edge ofthe paper. Referringespecially to Figs. 2 to 4, `each feed guide unit 13 includes a body 14formed of resilieritly deformable material such as rubber, a lateralguide element 15 for engaging an edge of the paper, and a tongue element16 for overlying the edge portion of the paper. The lower portion ofbody 14 forms a downwardly facing concave resiliently deformable suctioncup 17,- having an annular sealing lip 18 about its central suction cuprecess and which isv adapted to adhere tightly to the upper slicksurface of feed board 12. In the normal undeformed condition of body 14,the sealing lip 18 of course extends farther downwardly at the edge ofthe suction cup recess than in the applied or deformed Fig. 3 condition,so that the recess normally'forms a considerably deeper cavity in body14 than is shown in Fig. 3. Above its lower suction cup portion, body 14is relatively thick, :and contains a passage 19 extending transverselyor es.- sentially horizontally therethrough, 4and through which elements15 and 16 extend.

Element 1S may be a somewhat elongated leaf spring, typically formed ofa suitable resiliently deformable spring steel, and having an endportion 20 which is turned downwardly or directly toward feed board 12in the position of use. A second and outer end 21, at an opposite sideof the suction cup body 14, extends gradually downwardly to engage thesurface of the feed board as seen in` Fig. 3. In the position in whichsuction cup body 14 is attached by suction' to the surface of feed board12, both of the ends of leaf spring' element 15 preferably bearV againstthe surface ofthe' feed board, specifically at` points 22and 23. At alocation within body 14, leaf spring has a portion which is notchedinwardly at its opposlte sides 24, and the passage 19 in body 14 is cor-`respondrnglyr reduced in width to provide projections fittingmtonotches 24 to positively retain element VV15 against longitudinalmovement relative ,'to'body 14.' During insertlon of element 15l intoits. proper position within body 1,4, the latter is of course stretchedsui'liciently'at passage 19 to allow the wider portion Yof element 15Vto slip lnto passage 19 to a point at which notches 24 in element 1.5engage and are retained by the reduced dimension portions of element 19.

Tongue 16 may also take the form of asomewhat elongated leaf springtypically formed of resiliently deformed spring steel. Element'16extends along the underside of element 15 and is of 'a smaller widththan element 15. At its inner end, tongue 16 extends through a recess orcutaway portion 24 in the down-turned portion 20 of element 15, so thatthe inner end of tongue 16 overlies an edge portion of the paper ,11. Atits outer end, element 16 has an upturned portion 26, which extendsupwardly through and beyond an elongated slot 27 'in the outer portionof element 15 and is actuable in opposite directions by the ngernail ofa user to move element 16 longitudinally relative to element 15.

The passage 19 in body 14 is of a vertical dimension lcorresponding tothe combined thicknesses of elements 15 and 16, to eifectively confinethose elements, and locate them relative to body 14. Preferably, passage19 and the portions of elements 15 and 16 contained in that passage allhave a common slight arcuate curvature about an axis spaced well belowthe feed board (with the feed board in horizontal position), so thatactuation of element 16 to the left as seen in Fig. 3 tends to swing theinner end portion 28 of that element downwardly, in addition toadvancing that element toa position overlying paper 11 to an increasedextent.

In using the illustrated apparatus, a first step is of course to placefeed board 12 on platen 10, and then clamp the feed vboard to theplaten. The three feed guide units 13 fare then properly positioned onfeed board 12, and each is attached to the feed board by pressingdownwardly on the upper surface of body 14 until its suction cup portion17 adheres tightly to the upper surface of board 12. This adhesion mayof course be enhanced by slightly moistening suction cup 17. The sheet11 to be printed or embossed is moved to a position in which two of itsedges engage the down-turned portions 2i) of elements 15 of the units13, with the paper being received beneath the projecting ends of tongues28. Guide units 13 then Iact to retain sheet 11 in a proper positionduring the printing or embossing operation, following which the sheet 11may be easily removed, and another sheet placed in proper positionagainst units 13. The operator may adjust each element 16longitudinally, as between the full line and broken line positions ofFig. 3. Such longitudinal adjustment of element 16 varies the extent towhich that tongue element overlies the paper 11, and also serves to varythe spacing of the projecting end 28 of element 16 above feed board 12.This adjustment of the inner end 28 of element 16 toward and away fromthe feed board occurs by reason of the previously described slightarcuate curvature of body passage 19 'and the contained portions ofelements 15 and 16, and allows adjustment of element 16 for reception ofdifferent thicknesses of paper or cardboard between the feed board andend 28 of element 16. This thickness adjustment is extremely useful incases where very accurate positioning of the paper is necessary, sinceit allows the work to be held securely against the guides despite pressvibration or the presence of other conditions tending to dislocate thework. It is also noted that the engagement of outer end 21 of element 15with the feed board acts to balance the forces exerted against the feedboard by inner end 20, to maintain the suction cup body member 14 in aproper relation'to the engaged lfeed board. ,In the applied ndi" tion ofunit 13, the engagement of the opposite ends of element 15 with feedboard 12may serve to maintain the leaf spring element 15 in a slightlydeformed condition, to assure proper engagement of element 15 with thefeed board at all times.

I claim:

l. Apparatus comprising a feed board for use in a press, and a feedguide device removably attachable to a surface of said feed board, saiddevice comprising a suction cup removably attachable to ysaid surface,said surface of the feed board being sufficiently smooth and nonporousfor th'e suction cupV to adhere tightly thereto, a lateral guide elementcarried by Asaid suction cup and engageable by an edge of a sheet ofpaper on the feed board to locate the paper on the board, said guideelement being positioned to engage the surface of said feed board whenthe suction cupY is attached thereto, and a tongue carried by'saidsuction cup projecting beyond said/guide element to a locationVoverlying a paper which yis against said guide element to hold saidpaper on the board, said guide elementhaving a rst paper engagingportion positioned to bear against said feed board at a first side ofthe suction cup,'and a second portion bearing against said feedboardat'a second and opposite side of the suction cup. Y

2. A feed guide devicerfor positioning paper on a feed board in la presscomprising a body of resiliently deformable material having a lowerportion forming a suction cup removably attachable to the surface ofsaid feed board, a lateral guide elementcarried by said deformable bodyand engageable by an edge of a sheet of paper on the feed board tolocate the paper on vthe board, and a tongue element carried by saiddeformable body and projecting beyond said guide element to a locationoverlying a paper which is against said guide element, said guideelement being attached to said body of deformable material by extendinggenerally transversely entirely through an upper portion of saiddeformable body above said suction cup portion and projecting fromopposite sides thereof, said guide element comprising a leaf springextending -through said upper portion` of the deformable body and havinga,

first paper engaging end bearing against the feed board at one side ofthe Vsuction cup, and a second Lend bearing against the feed board at a-second and opposite side of the suction cup.

3 A feed guide device as recited in claim 2, in which said leaf springguide element is turned downwardly at said rst paper engaging end, saidtongue being elongated and formed of resilient material and extendinggenerally parallel to said leaf spring through said upper portion of thedeformable body, said tongue being free for longi-l tudinal movementrelative to the leaf spring and lbody along apath for varying the extentto which said tongue overlies the paper and varying the spacing betweensaid tongue andfeed board, and said device including means forretainingV said leaf spring substantially fixed relative tothe body. i Y

4. A feed guide device for positioning paper on a feed board in a press,comprising a suction cup removably attachable to the surface of saidfeed board, an elongated guide element carried by and extendinggenerally transversely of said suction cup and having a rst portionbearing against the feed board at a first side Vof the suction cupandengageable by an edge of a sheet of paper on the feed board to locatethe paper on the board, said guide element having a second portionbearing against said feed board at a second and opposite side of thesuction cup to balance thel forces exterted by said element against thesuction cup, and a tongue carried by Vsaid suction cup and projectingbeyond said rst paperl engaging portion of the guide ,element to alocation overlying the paper. `V 5. Afeed guide device as recited inclaim 4, in which said guide element comprises an elongated leaf spring,said first portion of the guide element comprising a down' turned paperengaging end positioned to bear resiliently against the feed board atsaid first side of the suction cup.

6. A feed guide device as recited in claim 5, in which said tongue iselongated and extends essentially parallel to said guide element, andtransversely of said suction cup, said device including means mountingsaid tongue for longitudinal adjusting movement relative to said guideelement and suction cup.

7. A feed guide device as recited in claim 4, including means mountingsaid tongue for protracting and retracting movement relative to saidguide element and suction cup.

8. Apparatus comprising a feed board for use `in a press, and a feedguide device removably attachable to a surface of said feed board, saiddevice comprising a suction cup removably attachable to said surface,said surface of the feed board being suciently smooth and non-porous forthe suction cup to adhere tightly thereto, a lateral guide elementcarried by said suction cup and cngageable by an edge of a sheet ofpaper on the feed board to locate the paper on the board, said guideelement being positioned to engage the surface of said feed board whenthe suction cup is attached thereto, and a tongue carried by saidsuction cup projecting beyond said guide element to a location overlyinga paper which -is against said guide element to hold said paper on theboard, said guide element comprising a leaf spring having a rstdownturned paper engaging end positioned to bear resiliently against thefeed board at a rst side of the suction cup, and a second end adapted tobear resiliently lagainst the feed board at a second and opposite sideof the suction cupi. y

9. A feed guide device as recited in claim 8 including means mountingsaid tongue to said suction cup for protracting and retracting movementrelative to said suction cup and said guide element.

10. A feed guide device for positioning paper on a feed board in a presscomprising a body of resiliently deformable material having a lowerportion forming a suction cup removably `attachable to the surface ofsaid feed board, a lateral guide element carried by said deformable bodyand engageable by an edge of a she-et of paper on the feed board tolocate the paper on the board, and `a tongue element carried by saiddeformable body and projecting beyond said guide element to a locationoverlying a paper which is against said guide element, said tongue beingattached to said body of deformable material by extending generallytransversely entirely through an upper portion of said deformable bodyabove said suction cup portion `and projecting from opposite sidesthereof, said tongue being lelongated and being free for longitudinalprotracting and retracting movement Within a transverse passage in saidupper portion of the deform able body, the portion of said tongue withinsaid passage being slightly curved to vary the spacing between the paperengaging end of the tongue and said feed board in accordance withlongitudinal adjusting movement of the tongue.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS408,122 Megill Iuly 30, 1889 873,183 Stapp Dec. 10, 1907 1,162,102 RagerNov. 30, 1915 1,300,028 Scapicchio Apr. 8, 1919 1,500,658 Strmic July 8,1924 1,866,402 Ellerby July 5, 1932 2,288,443 Felton .Tune 30, 19422,299,289 Winders Oct. 20, 1942 2,505,899 Jobe May 2, 1950

